Building Academic Excellence at Shugsep Nunnery

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Traditionally, Buddhist nuns have not had the same access to education as monks, but your generosity is changing that. We would like to extend a special thank you to everyone who sponsors a nun.

Here are photos showing recent academic competitions at Shugsep Nunnery and Institute, a nunnery built and fully supported by donors to the Tibetan Nuns Project.

Shugsep Annual Tibetan Grammar Competition Day

The nuns at Shugsep Nunnery held their annual Tibetan grammar competition in November. The preservation of Tibet’s unique language and culture remains one of the most critical areas of focus for Tibetans, both inside Tibet and in exile.

Events like this enhance the nuns’ knowledge of various subjects, boost their confidence, encourage creativity, strengthen their communication skills, and provide the nuns with valuable practice in expressing their ideas clearly.

Quiz time Tibetan grammar Shugsep Nunnery

The annual Tibetan grammar competition at Shugsep Nunnery. Tibet has its own language, including a unique alphabet and various written forms. Tibetan calligraphy is beautiful, and there are numerous Tibetan writing styles.

These types of competitions are held in various subjects and topics, depending on the class level. They help the nuns become more comfortable speaking and writing in front of others, and they build a healthy sense of discipline and motivation.

The idea for this competition originated at a staff meeting, when some teachers suggested holding regular activities to enhance the nuns’ overall knowledge and, most importantly, to help build their confidence.

On November 8th, the nunnnery held a Tibetan Language Skills competition that included poem writing and application for the higher grades. The competition had questions such as “Write down five different proverbs,” “What are the elements needed to complete a composition?” and other Tibetan grammar questions.

Tibetan grammar competition Shugsep Nunnery, quiz time

The Tibetan alphabet has 30 characters or letters and four vowels. Like English, it is written from left to right in horizontal lines. Tibetan writing may be broadly divided into two types: “headed”, called Uchen, and “headless”, called Umeh. These two forms of Tibetan script correspond roughly to printed and cursive writing.

For the younger students, the activities included a reading competition and a spelling exam, where students were asked to write specific names or words.

Around 50 nuns participated, except for those who had already completed their Loponma degrees, roughly equivalent to a master’s degree. A panel of teachers scored the competitions and awarded prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Annual English Competition and The Alchemist

Here are some delightful photos taken by the nuns during the annual English competition held on December 6th at Shugsep. The event took place in the presence of Khenpo-la (the head of the nunnery) and all the teachers. They watched a lovely drama performed by the children and viewed many beautiful drawings created by the junior students.

It’s never easy standing up in front of your classmates, all your teachers, and your principal. It’s even more challenging when you have to speak a foreign language. Congratulations to all the nuns who took part in the annual English competition. The young nuns performed a drama.

The junior students created many beautiful drawings to reflect daily life at the nunnery and also the Year of Compassion, honouring the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Here are some of the drawings by the junior nuns at Shugsep. The nuns had to describe the images in English to the assembled crowd. This builds confidence and skills in English and public speaking. The picture on the left honors His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, and the middle picture is the “Four Harmonious Friends”, one of the Jataka tales of Buddhist mythology.

As part of the competition, the senior nuns wrote English poems and notices.

Shugsep is now home to about 100 nuns. The senior nuns are writing in front of their classmates and teachers as part of the annual English competition.

The nuns also spoke about the famous novel The Alchemist by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. The book’s main theme is about finding one’s destiny.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns explaining The Alchemist

In this photo, two nuns are explaining the introduction of The Alchemist to the audience, highlighting the book’s strong and important vocabulary and philosophical concepts.

The Tibetan Nuns Project aims to elevate the educational standards and the position of women. As TNP’s Founding Director and Special Advisor Rinchen Khando Choegyal has said, “Educating women is powerful… It’s about enabling the nuns to be teachers in their own right and to take on leadership roles at a critical time in our nation’s history.”

Thank you for helping the nuns on their path!

Looking Back at Dolma Ling Nuns Over 30 Years Ago

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This special blog post by Julie Brittain has news and archival photos of Dolma Ling Nunnery in 1993 when the nunnery was being built. Julie, now a long-time supporter of the Tibetan Nuns Project, wrote it in 1993 as part of a series of short reports for CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This is a report she wrote about her time at Dolma Ling and describes her time with the nuns as the nunnery was being built.

On the left, a nun holds a paper model of Dolma Ling. December 8, 2025 is the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of Dolma Ling by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The nunnery took 12 years to build. Our current project is to build special housing for elder nuns.

Background to Julie’s Letters from Dharamsala 1993

In 1993, when I was in Dharamsala, I was writing 3-minute “letters” to be read out on a CBC Radio Show from St. John’s Newfoundland called “On The Go”.

I first visited Dharamsala in 1988, arriving directly from Lhasa, where I’d worked for a year at Tibet University. I’d been a couple times more to Dharamsala between 1988 and 1993, but this was the longest stay.

Julie Brittain at Dolma Ling Nunnery near Dharamsala in 1993.

I wrote 20 letters for “On The Go”. CBC Radio didn’t air them all and I was told they didn’t air the two I wrote about Dolma Ling. I guess some were just a bit outside of the listeners’ experience.

Letter from Dolma Ling Nunnery

There’s an understanding in Dharamsala that western visitors should make a contribution to the refugee community while they are part of it. There’s no shortage of worthwhile projects which can use some extra help. One afternoon I ran into Betsy Napper, whom I’d met briefly in Lhasa in 1987. [Elizabeth (Betsy) Napper, PhD, is the US Founder and Board Chair of the Tibetan Nuns Project.]

She told me about an organization called the Tibetan Nuns’ Project. She was co-director. It was set up in 1987 to receive nuns fleeing into exile from Tibet. There were over 100 such nuns in the community now and the Tibetan Nuns’ Project had founded a nunnery, Dolma Ling, to accommodate and care for some of them, eventually, all of them. They could use my help organizing their English teaching programme.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns at Dolma Ling in 1993 by Julie Brittain

The Tibetan Nuns Project was founded in 1987 in response to wave of nuns escaping from Tibet to India. They had walked over the Himalayas and were ill and exhausted. Many of them had been imprisoned and tortured for taking part in peaceful demonstrations calling for basic human rights. Photo by Julie Brittain, 1993.

I’d heard about the Nuns Project. I knew that some of the nuns had served time in prison in Tibet, for taking part in pro-independence demonstrations, or just for simply being nuns. Many of them had been thrown out of their nunneries by the authorities. They came to India, often on foot as far as Nepal, just so that they could carry on their practice as nuns.

early days at Dolma Ling Nunnery 1993 Julie Brittain

The nuns escaped into exile seeking freedom to practice their religion, culture, and language. The nuns arrived in northern India to a refugee community already struggling to survive. The two existing Tibetan Buddhist nunneries were already overcrowded. Photo by Julie Brittain, 1993.

While I lived in Lhasa, I’d visited many of the nunneries, in the city and further afield. A few in the Lhasa area I’d visit on a regular basis. I heard the nuns’ stories first hand over the year I was there, as we’d talk over the bottomless bowls of butter tea they’d serve me. I admired the courage and conviction that had brought these women on such a dangerous journey, into exile, and I decided this would be my contribution to the refugee community. If I could, I’d return a little of the warm hospitality and friendship they’d shown me in Tibet, where I myself frequently felt alone and confused by life at Tibet University, where I was far from welcome as a foreigner.

Photo from 2025 of Geshema Delek Wangmo, the principal of Dolma Ling, showing Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, the foundations for the housing for elder nuns. Photo tibet.net

The half hour drive down to Dolma Ling Nunnery is spectacular, as is the setting of the nunnery itself. To the north, mountains shoot up dramatically from the valley floor. Clear mountain streams bubble around the big grey glacial boulders.

Julie Brittain photo of nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery 1993

Most refugee nuns escaping to Northern India had no education in their own language, nor had they been allowed education in their religious heritage while in Tibet. Many were illiterate on arrival and could not even write their own names.

Goats, sheep, cows, buffalo, donkeys and horses belonging to neighbouring farms crop the lush grass to a soft green carpet so that the valley looks like a big park.

Right now, Dolma Ling is spread out and make-shift. The nuns live in four rented houses. There are as many bunk beds in each room as will fit.

archival photo of Dolma Ling Nunnery 1993 by Julie Brittain

Their classroom and gompa is a doorless building which has a dirt floor, mud-washed walls and a polythene tent roof.

Only in the visitors’ room is there a little space, a carpet and chairs to sit on. This is also where the nunnery valuables are kept – religious books, two sewing machines and the accounts books.

The nuns take off their shoes when they go into this room. Just across the field what will one day be the real Dolma Ling is underway. This is a large complex which will have dormitories for 200 nuns, classrooms, a small hospital, and a gompa. The nuns work on the site in the mornings and evenings, helping the labourers with tasks like carrying bricks.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns helping to build Dolma Ling Nunnery

Construction of Dolma Ling began in 1990 and the major parts of the nunnery were completed in 2005. The nuns themselves took part in the construction of the nunnery, laboring to carry bricks and mortar, and dig the foundations. Photo by Jessica Tampas.

I’ve taught English in a lot of different countries, but the first time I met the nuns was like starting out all over again. Before me, sitting cross-legged on the floor, three rows of shaven-headed ladies aged between about 16 and 35. They all wore identical yellow silk vests and maroon robes. I had no text books, or rather none that were relevant for a Tibetan nun newly arrived in India.

I asked them to tell me about their daily schedule. They get up at 4:30 and pray until 6:30. Then they have breakfast. After that, the whole day is crammed with classes, religious practices and building work. After their evening meal, they spend five or six hours learning scriptures by heart, often not getting to bed before midnight.

Makeshift buildings at Dolma Ling Nunnery 1993 by Julie Brittain

Dolma Ling Nunnery was successfully completed after 12 years of hard work. Now home to about 300 nuns, it offers a 17-year curriculum of traditional Buddhist philosophy and debate, as well as modern courses in Tibetan language, English, basic mathematics, and computer skills. Photo by Julie Brittain, 1993.

I couldn’t believe anyone could survive such a life. ‘Don’t you get tired? How can you live that way!’ I asked. They laughed at me, part-hiding their faces in a corner of robe or on a friend’s shoulder. This was the life they loved, the life they’d crossed the Himalayas to pursue. For them the question was how to live any other way.

During the week the Dolma Ling nuns have a tight schedule. If you want to see one of them at leisure, you have to do it on a weekend. I dropped in one Saturday after lunch to visit a 26 year old nun I’ll call Pema – it’s not her real name – who arrived in India this summer. I wanted to hear her story because it’s typical of many Tibetan monks and nuns these days. This piece is broadcast with her permission on the understanding I do not use her real name.

One Nun’s Story

Pema was in prison in Lhasa for three years, from 1989 to 1992. She was one of 20 nuns and three monks arrested for taking part in a small pro-independence demonstration outside a cultural event put on by the authorities. This happened while Lhasa was under martial law in the fall of 1989, in the grounds of the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace. They shouted ‘Free Tibet’ and ‘Long live the Dalai Lama’. They were all sentenced without trial.

During her time in prison Pema was tortured and beaten. Beatings to the head have left her blind in her left eye and suffering from headaches. She was in pain the day I met her. As she spoke to me through an interpreter, she held the palm of her hand against the left side of her face, which seemed swollen.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns study outdoors at Dolma Ling Nunnery 1993 by Julie Brittain

Early classroom. “The nuns, when they first came via Nepal to India, were in very poor physical shape and of course they had nothing – from 1987 onwards. They were traumatised and physically battered,” said Rinchen Rinchen Khando Choegyal, Founding Director of TNP. Photo by Julie Brittain, 1993.

Pema comes from a village west of Lhasa. Her family are farmers. She has two older siblings, both of whom are also farmers. At the age of 21 she decided to become a nun. As she put it, by doing this she would ‘bring benefit to all sentient beings’. In 1987 she joined a nunnery not far from Lhasa. I’d visited two or three times in 1987 on horseback – during martial law, travelling by horse was one of the few ways to get around and not have someone from the Public Security Bureau follow to see who you were talking to.

I asked her how she’d got out of Tibet. She told me that she’d walked from Lhasa, south to the Nepali border, in a party of 16 Tibetans. To avoid being spotted by the Chinese troops who patrol all the main roads across Tibet, they walked at night and hid in caves during the day. They were leaving Tibet illegally and would have been arrested if they’d been caught. Their journey lasted 19 days and took them around Mount Everest.

Why, I asked, had she taken part in demonstrations. She knew how dangerous it was. She knew she would be arrested, and most likely tortured and imprisoned. She replied, ‘To obtain freedom for the Tibetan people.’ I wanted to know if she felt it was her duty as a nun to demonstrate. No, she said, it wasn’t her duty. Conviction had made her do it. Monks and nuns in general have a lot of conviction, she told me.

Building Dolma Ling Nunnery. Photo by Julie Brittain 1993.

While she was in prison she worked six days a week, from nine to five, digging fields. The food was poor and there was never enough of it. There was no meat. Vegetables, served once a day, were often full of maggots. Otherwise, they lived on black tea and steamed bread. She said that even when relatives brought prisoners nutritious food, it was often confiscated by the guards.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns sewing in 1993. Today, there is a tailoring section at the nunnery that makes robes and also many items for sale in our online store such as prayer flags, Tibetan door hangings, bags, and dolls.

Why had she come to India, I asked. She told me she wanted to continue her studies, something she couldn’t do in Tibet. Everyone at her nunnery had been refused a renewal of the papers they needed to be there officially. A condition of her release from prison, in any case, had been that she wasn’t allowed to rejoin her nunnery. The only way for her to continue being a nun was to go into exile. If she tries to return, she said, she’ll be arrested again.

An anonymous Tibetan poet has paid tribute to Pema and the others who were arrested at the Norbulingka that day, in a resistance song that circulated in Lhasa in 1989. In translation the song goes like this:

In the Norbulingka
Many different flowers have bloomed
Neither hailstorm nor winter frost
Will untie our unity

We stand up to leave. Pema places the palms of her hands together and bows to us in the traditional Tibetan way. We wish her happiness in India.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns in 1993 at Dolma Ling Nunnery

One of our goals now is to put our core programs on more solid ground with our Long-Term Stability Fund launched about 30 years after this photo was taken. Photo by Julie Brittain, 1993.

Current Needs

It is now over 30 years since Julie wrote this letter for CBC Radio. The Tibetan Nuns Project is now working on two major projects to help the nuns. The first is our Long-Term Stability Fund to put more of our core programs on solid ground. The second is to build Housing for Elder Nuns at Dolma Ling.

Ani Rigzen, aged 74, is one of the elder nuns at Dolma Ling. She said, “I escaped Tibet after torture took everything from me, my family, my home, my culture. Even now, with failing eyesight and constant pain, I carry those scars. Dolma Ling is my only family, the only home I have left. With your support, a senior home here would mean I could spend my last years with dignity and peace, surrounded by my sisters. This would be the greatest gift of my life.”

Dolma Ling Now

December 8, 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of Dolma Ling by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

In April 2025, the nuns celebrated big changes in the leadership at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute. For the first time since the nunnery was inaugurated 20 years ago, Dolma Ling transitioned from having a male principal to leadership by the nuns themselves.

You can learn more about life at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute with these slideshows and this blog post about daily life and the nuns’ curriculum.

Thank you so much for your support!

The 2025 Geshema Graduation and Inter-Nunnery Debate

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This month, 47 Tibetan Buddhist nuns graduated as Geshemas in the holy city of Bodh Gaya. The Geshema degree is the highest academic degree in the Gelug tradition and was only opened to women in 2012. This is the largest group of Geshema graduates since the first Geshema graduation took place in 2016, bringing the total number of Geshemas to 120.

Congratulations to the 47 Tibetan Buddhist nuns who graduated in November 2025 as Geshemas.

In this blog post, we share photos taken by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns of the special event and news of the annual inter-nunnery debate, the Jang Gonchoe, which started 30 years ago in 1995.

Record Number of Nuns Earn Geshema Degrees

In the summer of 2025, a record number of nuns took various levels of exams for the Geshema degree, equivalent to a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The rigorous written and oral are completed over four years, with one set held each year. To be eligible to take their Geshema exams, the nuns must first complete at least 17 years of study.

A collage showing parts of the Geshema graduation ceremony in November 2025. Elements include an oath-taking ceremony and a special debate event, followed by a traditional khata (scarf) offering ceremony.

The Geshemas are paving the way for other nuns to follow in their footsteps. The momentum is building. Not long ago, this increased status of nuns was almost unimaginable. We are so grateful for your support to educate and empower these dedicated women!

2025 marks another new record for nuns taking various levels of the 4-year Geshema exams. The degree was only opened to women in 2012. No exams were held in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID.

The exams were hosted this year by Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute near Dharamsala from July 21 to August 16, 2025. The costs of the nuns’ travel, food, and the exam process were once again covered by the Tibetan Nuns Project’s Geshema Endowment Fund.

In November, the Jang Gonchoe closing ceremony and Geshema certification were held on the same day, attended by chief guests Dr. Mahashweta Maharathi, Secretary of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee and Gen Tenzin la from Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala.

Here’s a list of the Geshema graduations since the formal approval in 2012:

2016: 20 nuns became Geshemas
2017: 6 nuns graduated as Geshemas
2018: 10 nuns became Geshemas
2019: 7 nuns graduated at the end of November
2020: exams cancelled due to the pandemic
2021: exams cancelled due to the pandemic
2022: 10 nuns became Geshemas
2023: 7 nuns graduated
2024: 13 nuns graduated as Geshemas at the 7th convocation ceremony
2025: 47 nuns graduated as Geshemas in Bodh Gaya

The Annual Inter-Nunnery Debate

From October 5th to November 8th, 460 nuns and 23 teachers from 10 Tibetan Buddhist nunneries in India and Nepal gathered in Bodh Gaya for one month of intensive training in monastic debate.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns from India and Nepal practice debating at the Mahabodhi Temple (literally the “Great Awakening Temple”) in Bodh Gaya, marking the location where the Buddha attained enlightenment.

Monastic debate is of critical importance in traditional Tibetan Buddhist learning. Through debate, nuns test and consolidate their classroom learning.

inter-nunnery debate in Bodh Gaya 2025 with Tibetan Buddhist nuns

A teacher guides Tibetan Buddhist nuns during their month-long intensive training in monastic debate in Bodh Gaya. 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the Jang Gonchoe for nuns in 1995.

Although the nuns practice debate daily at their nunneries, the annual Jang Gonchoe debate event provides essential training and practice that is vital for those who wish to pursue higher degrees. The nuns are very grateful to the Kagyu Monlam Office for lending the space since 2019 to the nunneries during Jang Gonchoe and for their continued support.

At the Jang Gonchoe, the nuns take part in structured debate sessions with individual and class-wide debates, followed by an evening inter-nunnery session where two nuns answer questions from a team from another nunnery. Debate strengthens reasoning skills, confidence, and understanding of Buddhist studies.

The inter-nunnery debate helps bring the nuns closer to equality with the monks in terms of learning opportunities and advancement along the spiritual path.

This year, nuns from these 10 nunneries participated:
1.    Geden Choeling: 3 teachers + 64 nuns = 67
2.    Jamyang Choeling: 2 teachers + 37 nuns = 39
3.    Dolma Ling: 3 teachers + 92 nuns = 95
4.    Jangchub Choeling: 4 teachers + 77 nuns = 81
5.    Kachoe Gakyil Ling: 4 teachers + 64 nuns = 68
6.    Thukche Choeling: 2 teachers + 32 nuns = 34
7.    Jangsemling: 1 teacher + 17 nuns = 18
8.    Jampa Choeling – 1 teacher + 11 nuns = 12
9.    Yangchen Choeling : 1 teacher + 26 nuns = 27
10. Sherab Choeling: 2 teachers + 39 nuns = 41

Annual internunnery debate in Bodh Gaya 2025, Jang Gonchoe

Nuns practice monastic debate in pairs and groups during the month-long Jang Gonchoe. The nuns expressed appreciation to the Kagyu Monlam Office for lending the space in Bodh Gaya for the Jang Gonchoe since 2019 and for their continued support.

1995-2025: The 30th Anniversary of the Inter-Nunnery Debate

The Jang Gonchoe for nuns was first initiated in 1995, making this year its 30th anniversary, though there was a year-long gap during the Covid pandemic when the event could not take place. Because of that missed year, the nuns’ committee has decided to count this as the 29th Jang Gonchoe instead of the 30th.

Jang Gonchoe inter nunnery debate 2025 in Bodh Gaya 2

The inter-nunnery debate has been supported since 1997 by the Tibetan Nuns Project through our Jang Gonchoe Endowment Fund. Now we want to put more of our core programs on a sustainable footing with our Long-Term Stability Fund.

Before 1995, there was no Jang Gonchoe for nuns and this learning opportunity was only open to monks. The Tibetan Nuns Project, with the wonderful support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, played a critical role in opening up this learning opportunity to women. Establishing a comparable debate session for nuns has been an integral part of the nuns reaching their current level of excellence in their studies.

The inter-nunnery debate has been supported since 1997 by the Tibetan Nuns Project. Our Jang Gonchoe Endowment Fund covers costs such as transportation, food, and accommodation for the nuns and teachers who wish to attend.

The following video is a great primer on Tibetan Buddhist debate by nuns. It’s taken from a longer video made by the nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery in northern India. It answers many of the frequently asked questions about Tibetan Buddhist debate, such as the meaning of the hand movements.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Nuns Learning Tibetan Buddhist Debate

“It all happened because of the kindness, generosity, and genuine concern shown by all the wonderful donors who supported us for so many years,” said Rinchen Khando Choegyal, Founding Director and Special Advisor to the Tibetan Nuns Project, in a past interview.

“Much as we had the blessings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the vision, determination, and courage to pursue this matter to the full, without their generosity we would not have been able to have the Jang Gonchoe every year, which was and is the moving force behind every step of progress in education the nuns have made,” she said.

In 2025, 460 nuns from ten nunneries took part in the annual inter-nunnery debate, the Jang Gonchoe. The event began in 1995. Prior to that, nuns did not have this opportunity.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has often spoken of the need to examine the teachings of the Buddha closely and with an inquisitive mind. “This is the 21st century and we need to understand the Buddha’s teachings in the light of reason. When we teach, we need to do so on the basis of reason,” His Holiness the Dalai Lama told the nuns at the end of the 2014 Jang Gonchoe.

His Holiness added, “Nowadays, the Nalanda tradition of approaching the Buddha’s teachings with logic and reason is only found amongst Tibetans. It’s something precious we can be proud of and should strive to preserve.”

A portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is placed at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, marking the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the patron of the Tibetan Nuns Project.

Support Long-Term Stability

The annual Geshema exams and the inter-nunnery debate are both funded by endowments and are now self-sustaining thanks to our generous supporters.

We are extremely grateful to the 159 donors to the Geshema Endowment, including the Pema Chodron Foundation, the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Frederick Family Foundation, and the Donaldson Charitable Trust. We are also very grateful to all those who sponsor nuns and help them on their path.

Now we want to put more of our core programs on a sustainable footing with our Long-Term Stability Fund. Thank you for supporting this vision. You can learn more and donate here.

Results Announced for 2025 Geshema Exams

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Record Number of Nuns Take 2025 Geshema Exams

The 2025 Geshema exam results are in!

During the summer, a record number of Tibetan Buddhist nuns took various levels of the four-year exams for the Geshema degree. Of the 161 nuns, 154 passed. This is a 96% pass rate.

Forty-seven nuns passed their fourth and final year of exams and will formally graduate as Geshemas in November.

Rows of Tibetan Buddhist nuns taking Geshema exams in 2025. Photo by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.

The Geshema degree is the highest level of training in the Gelug tradition and is roughly equivalent to a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. It is the same as the Geshe degree for monks, but the ending “ma” marks it as referring to a woman. Until recently, this degree was reserved for men. It was only formally opened to women in 2012. The opening up of higher degrees for nuns is a breakthrough for Tibetan Buddhist nuns’ education.

In 2025, nuns took the exams as follows:
1st-year exams: 48 nuns, 44 passed
2nd year: 33 nuns took exams, 32 passed
3rd year: 31 nuns took exams, 31 passed
4th and final year: 49 nuns took exams, 47 passed

2025 marks another new record for nuns taking various levels of the 4-year Geshema exams. The degree was only opened to women in 2012. No exams were held in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns reading messages of support for the 2025 Geshema exams. Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes to the nuns!

The nuns gathered in late June for a final, one-month study period before the start of the exams. The nuns from Kopan Nunnery in Nepal created this charming video about their journey to Dolma Ling and the final days of exam preparation. Can’t see the video? Click here.

About the Geshema Degree

The Geshema degree enables Tibetan Buddhist nuns to become teachers, leaders, and role models. It makes these dedicated women eligible to assume various leadership roles in their monastic and lay communities reserved for degree holders and hence previously not open to women.

The exams take four years to complete, with one set held each year over two weeks. Candidates are examined on the entirety of their 17-year course of study of the Five Great Canonical Texts. They must achieve a score of at least 75 per cent during their studies to be eligible to sit the exams.

TNP’s Founding Director and Special Advisor Rinchen Khando Choegyal has said, “Educating women is powerful… It’s about enabling the nuns to be teachers in their own right and to take on leadership roles at a critical time in our nation’s history.”

Here’s a video by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns about the 2025 Geshema exams. Can’t see the video? Click here.

The formal graduation ceremony for the 47 new Geshemas will take place in November after the annual inter-nunnery debate in Bodh Gaya. This will bring the total number of Geshemas to 120.

Here’s a list of the Geshema graduations since women were first allowed to take this degree in 2012:

2016: 20 nuns became Geshemas
2017: 6 nuns graduated as Geshemas
2018: 10 nuns became Geshemas
2019: 7 nuns graduated at the end of November
2020: exams cancelled due to the pandemic
2021: exams cancelled for a second year due to COVID
2022: 10 nuns became Geshemas
2023: 7 nuns graduated
2024: 13 nuns graduated
2025: 47 nuns graduating in November

The Geshemas are paving the way for other nuns to follow in their footsteps and the momentum is building. Not long ago, this increased status of nuns was almost unimaginable and we are so grateful for your support to educate and empower these dedicated women!

Thank you to everyone who sent good luck messages to the nuns this year! We gathered 74 messages from around the world and posted them at Dolma Ling for everyone to read before and during the exams.

Here’s a sample message from Scott: “Very inspired by your dedication! May your incredible effort benefit countless beings. Thank you!!” Steve wrote, “Your accomplishment brings great benefit and light to the world, at a time of darkness elsewhere. Bowing with great respect for your vision and perseverance.”

Gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The success of the nuns would not be possible without the support and encouragement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, patron of the Tibetan Nuns Project. As this recent article outlines, His Holiness “encouraged nuns to become advanced degree holders as part of his broader goal to increase gender parity.”

“Biologically there is no difference between the brains of men and women and the Buddha clearly gave equal rights to men and women,” His Holiness the Dalai Lama said in 2013. In 2018, he said, “In the beginning when I spoke about awarding Geshema degrees, some were doubtful. I clearly told them that Buddha had given equal opportunity for both men and women.”

Art from painting contest by Shugsep nuns as part of celebrations of Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday

Long-Term Stability

The costs associated with the annual Geshema exams are covered thanks to the 159 donors to the Geshema Endowment, including the Pema Chodron Foundation, the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Frederick Family Foundation, and the Donaldson Charitable Trust. We are also very grateful to all those who sponsor nuns and help them on their path. More sponsors are always needed and you can learn more about sponsoring a nun here.

Preparing food for 2025 Geshema exam candidates

Nuns on kitchen duty sort through lentils to search for any small stones. Hosting the Geshema exams is a big enterprise with over 100 more nuns to feed for at least a 6-week period.

We would like to put more of our core programs on solid ground. By giving to the Long-Term Stability Fund, you will be helping current and future Tibetan Buddhist nuns at a critical time in Tibet’s history.

Every little bit helps! No matter what the future of Tibet holds, you can help these dedicated and courageous women to preserve their culture and spiritual traditions. Thank you!

Information session for the 2025 Geshema exams. One sponsor wrote this message of encouragement: “Your accomplishment brings great benefit and light to the world, at a time of darkness elsewhere. Bowing with great respect for your vision and perseverance.”

Thank you for your support and dedication to the Tibetan Buddhist nuns!

161 Nuns Take Geshema Exams in 2025

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It’s a new record! This summer, 161 Tibetan Buddhist nuns from India and Nepal took various levels of the four-year exams for the Geshema degree. The Geshema degree is the highest level of training in the Gelug tradition, equivalent to a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. This degree was only opened to women in 2012.

2025 Geshema exams chart record number of nuns

2025 marks a new record for nuns taking various levels of the 4-year Geshema exams. The degree was only opened to women in 2012. No exams were held in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns reading messages of support for the 2025 Geshema exams. Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes to the nuns!

The nuns must take both written and oral exams in the form of traditional Tibetan Buddhist debate.

Here’s a video by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns about the 2025 Geshema exams. Can’t see the video? Click here.

The Growing Number of Geshema Graduates

The 2025 exam results will be posted in the autumn. The graduation ceremony will take place at the end of the annual inter-nunnery debate. In November 2024, 13 nuns graduated with their Geshema degrees, bringing the total number of Geshemas worldwide to 73.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the 20 Geshema graduates at the first Geshema graduation ceremony in Mundgod in 2016. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the patron of the Tibetan Nuns Project. Photo OHHDL.

Help Put Our Core Programs on Solid Ground

Nuns on kitchen duty sort through lentils to search for any small stones. Hosting the Geshema exams is a big enterprise with over 100 more nuns to feed for at least a 6-week period.

We need to put more of our core programs on solid ground. To this end, we launched our Long-Term Stability Fund, a quasi-endowment, in 2022.

By giving to the Long-Term Stability Fund, you will be helping current and future Tibetan Buddhist nuns at a critical time in Tibet’s history. Please help the nuns to become teachers, leaders, and role models, and to keep the ancient wisdom tradition of Tibet alive. The world needs the nuns’ wisdom and compassion!

Every little bit helps!

No matter what the future of Tibet holds, you can help these dedicated and courageous women to preserve their culture and spiritual traditions. Thank you!

Living Conditions for Tibetan Nuns: Then and Now

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The Tibetan Nuns Project was created in response to a huge influx of nuns who arrived in India after escaping from Tibet. Finding shelter and creating long-term housing for the nuns was an urgent task.

Unlike monks who escaped and who had the option of joining established monasteries in India, there were no nunneries to go to for the nuns arriving in India. The two nunneries, Geden Choeling and Tilokpur, in and around Dharamsala, the home in exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the destination of choice for most Tibetan refugees, were both crowded and struggling.

Tibetan Buddhist nuns, Tibetan Nuns Project, housing, nuns living in tents, Dharamsala

This archival photo shows one of the many exiled Tibetan nuns living in tents in India.

Housing for nuns in the early days

“We had a huge influx of nuns from Tibet after 1987 — nuns who had been to prison and tortured,” says Rinchen Khando Choegyal, Founding Director and Special Advisor to the Tibetan Nuns Project.

“Many had had to leave their nunneries in Tibet because they had been on demonstrations. Because of that, they were imprisoned and not allowed to go back to their nunneries. The only option for them was to escape and come to India via Nepal. This was one of the very pressing reasons for the Tibetan Nuns Project to come into existence — so that we could shelter and look after these nuns, and so they could have an education.”

housing, Tibetan Buddhist nuns, Tibetan Nuns Project, rented house for nuns

Nuns studying inside one of the rented houses before the Tibetan Nuns Project built two new nunneries.

“All these nuns arrived from Tibet with nothing, in bad health, 99% not knowing how to read and write, traumatized in the prisons, beaten by the prison guards, with damaged kidneys and all kinds of health problems. And here we were trying to set up nunneries and a system of education for them… It was amazing how our international friends came forward to help us financially,” says Rinchen Khando Choegyal.

2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the inauguration of Shugsep Nunnery and Institute, now home to about 100 nuns. The original rented house is on the left.

In the early days, the Tibetan Nuns Project rented four houses in Dharamsala to accommodate the newly arrived nuns.

Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Napper, US Founder and Board Chair of the Tibetan Nuns Project, describes the housing situation in the late 1980s and 1990s:

“The Dolma Ling nuns were housed in a very dark, rented house with bunk beds three high — 18 in a room. They cooked outside in an outer cooking area with a canopy over it.”

Tibetan Buddhist nuns, Tibetan Nuns Project, housing, outdoor kitchen

In the early days, before the Tibetan Nuns Project built Dolma Ling and Shugsep nunneries, the nuns cooked outdoors in temporary structures.

“The situation for the Shugsep nuns wasn’t much better. We were able to move the Dolma Ling nuns down to a rented house and give the Shugsep nuns the small house that they had been in. It, too, was way too small. Every available space was filled by a bed; even under the stairs there were beds.”

“The structure was poorly built, and rain would run down the walls during the monsoon. It was damp and moldy in there. It was awful.”

On the left, a nun holds a paper model of Dolma Ling. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of Dolma Ling on December 8, 2005 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The nunnery took 12 years to build. Our current project is to build suitable accommodation for elder nuns.

“Bit by bit, we built things, like a bathroom toilet block. Every bit of it was a struggle. But more nuns kept coming. Every time we thought we had the space OK, more nuns would come, so it would get overcrowded again. That was why we had to build a whole new nunnery. Both nunneries — Dolma Ling and Shugsep — started out in really overcrowded, substandard housing.”

Construction of the new Shugsep Nunnery in India began in January 2006. The nuns lived for ten years in damp, crowded conditions while the nunnery was being built.

housing for nuns, Tibetan Nuns Project archive, Tibetan Buddhist Nuns building

While they were living in rented housing, the nuns helped build the new nunneries. This archival photo by Jessica Tampas shows nuns working to build Dolma Ling Nunnery. The nunnery took 12 years to build and was officially inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on December 8, 2005. It is now home to about 300 nuns.

Housing Now

Betsy Napper describes the current housing situation for the nuns at Dolma Ling and Shugsep nunneries.

“The housing is still simple and basic. The standard configuration is two nuns to a room. Each nun has a bed, a table, a bench, a little storage area where she can put her books for study and practice, and a little area where she can set up an altar. Only nuns who are very senior or who have special responsibilities get single rooms.”

Dolma Ling Nunnery, nun's room, housing, Tibetan Nuns Project

Inside a nun’s room at Dolma Ling Nunnery. The accommodation is basic, with simple furniture, shared rooms, and no heat. In the winter, the temperature drops to 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius. Photo courtesy of Brian Harris.

“Of course there’s no way at all to afford heating. Heating is impossible. None of the nunneries are heated. In the winter, the nuns will try to sit outside in the sun because the buildings are cold.”

housing for nuns, Dolma Ling Nunnery, Tibetan Nuns Project

Making a dream come true. Thanks to supporters around the world, the Tibetan Nuns Project was able to build two large nunneries and also support 5 more. This archival photo shows a holding a model of Dolma Ling Nunnery in front of the construction site in the early days of its 12-year construction.

“Hot water has always been a struggle. We were able to put in solar hot water and make bath houses for both Dolma Ling Nunnery and Shugsep Nunnery so that the nuns have an option of bathing with hot water. We also got hot water into the kitchens, using solar panels at both nunneries.”

The Pressing Need For Elder Housing

The Tibetan Nuns Project was founded almost 40 years ago in 1987. The nuns are aging, some are ill, and they need suitable accommodation. The nuns at Dolma Ling need your help to build 20 double rooms to house 40 elder nuns in a purpose-built two-story building. The aim is to create a comfortable living space for older nuns while fostering their sense of community and caring for each other.

Ani Rigzen, aged 74, is one of the elder nuns at Dolma Ling, carrying with her years of quiet devotion and peace. Please help us build 20 double rooms for elder nuns at Dolma Ling.

This special building will:

∗ Be wheelchair accessible on the ground floor
∗ Have low-rise stairs for those who have difficulty climbing stairs
∗ Have slightly larger rooms than the regular dormitory rooms
∗ Have a private bathroom for each room with handrails and a Western-style toilet
∗ Have a small kitchenette in each room
∗ Be equipped with an alarm bell system for vulnerable nuns

Indian style toilet is difficult for older people and elders

It is very difficult for elder nuns to use Indian-style squat toilets. They try to use them now with the aid of potty seats for support, but access to Western-style toilets would greatly ease their daily lives.

Please help provide elder housing for the nuns. Learn more and donate here.

Photo Essay: The Many Ways Tibetan Buddhist Nuns Celebrated the Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday

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The Tibetan Buddhist nuns in India celebrated His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday with dozens of special events. Here is a photo essay of the celebrations at Dolma Ling and Shugsep nunneries in northern India with pictures by the nuns. Both nunneries were built and are fully supported thanks to Tibetan Nuns Project donors and sponsors.

Celebrations at Dolma Ling Nunnery

The celebrations at Dolma Ling ranged from solemn prayers and offerings for His Holiness’s long life to educational activities and joyous games. The Dolma Ling Media Nuns captured the magic of the weeks of festivities.

Overnight Tara Prayer Offering

On Tsewa 15, during the sacred month of Saga Dawa, the nuns held an overnight chanting of the Tara mantra, known in Tibetan as Dolma Tsentsok. The date was a Wednesday, the day that the nuns traditionally do the Tara puja because it is considered an auspicious day for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Collage at Dolma Ling Nunnery of prayers and celebrations for Dalai Lama's 90th birthday.

The nuns did an overnight chanting of the Tara mantra as part of the birthday celebrations.

The nuns dedicated long-life prayers for His Holiness. The Tibetan for Tara is “Dolma”, and thus “Dolma Ling” means “Place of Tara”. Tara is believed to be a Bodhisattva of compassion and a protector who relieves physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. She is known as the “mother of liberation”.

Sangsol or incense offering ceremony is an ancient Tibetan tradition for special occasions such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday and at Losar, Tibetan New Year.

As part of the birthday celebrations, the nuns also held a special incense offering ceremony called sangsol. It is traditional for Tibetans to burn incense and fragrant juniper bows as an offering on occasions such as the Dalai Lama’s birthday, marriages, and at Tibetan New Year.

Environmental Clean-Up Campaign

As part of the many celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, on June 28th, the Tibetan Buddhist nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery did an environmental cleanup of the areas in and around the nunnery, including Norbulingka and the Khanyara River.

Nuns celebrate Dalai Lama's birthday with environmental clean-up

Nuns celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday with an environmental clean-up on June 28th..

The nuns were honoring His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s deep commitment to the environment. They hope that their efforts promote care for nature and public awareness about environmental responsibility.

art-of-the-celebrations-of-the-Dalai-Lamas-birthday-included-an-environmental-cleanup

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, “This planet is our only home; we are all responsible for taking care of it.” The nuns honored His Holiness’s commitment to the environment with their clean-up efforts.

Tibetan Studies Debate

Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute hosted a debate on Tibetan studies, showcasing the nuns’ academic engagement and commitment to preserving the Tibetan language and culture. The annual discussion on Tibetan Studies took place on June 4th, 2025, and the nuns discussed and debated the topics of Pharchin, Zoe, Tarik, and the Tibetan language.

The annual Tibetan Studies debate at Dolma Ling was dedicated this year to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday and was held on June 4th, 2025. Upper right is the new principal, Geshema Delek Wangmo.

Essay Competition

Both Dolma Ling and Shugsep nunneries held essay-writing competitions to mark the occasion. The nuns wrote in Tibetan. Traditionally, Tibetan nuns did not have access to the same level of education as monks. Now Tibetan nuns, such as those at Dolma Ling, have the opportunity to learn their own written language and various forms of Tibetan calligraphy.

The essay-writing competition at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute.

Annual Flower Competition

Each year, the nuns at Dolma Ling hold a flower competition to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday on July 6th. It’s monsoon time in northern India, so this year’s judging took place in the rain. The nuns set up multiple altars in the nunnery courtyard with offerings and portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Flower competition at Dolma Ling for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6, 2025.

For Buddhists, it is traditional to offer flowers to the Buddha. Flowers are significant as offerings because their freshness, fragrance, and beauty are impermanent. They are a reminder of the Buddha’s teachings that all things are impermanent.

Fun and Games

His Holiness’s birthday is a day of great joy. In addition to solemn prayers for his good health and long life, the nuns held laughter-filled fun and games, including trying to feed each other cake with blindfolds on and playing badminton in the courtyard.

Some of the fun and games included a joyous game of feeding cake with blindfolds on and badminton games.

Celebrations at Shugsep Nunnery and Institute

As at Dolma Ling, the nuns at Shugsep Nunnery organized a series of meaningful activities and spiritual offerings to mark this very special occasion. Their activities were varied and included public service events and a three-tiered birthday cake decorated with the snow lions of Tibet. Here are some of the ways the nuns celebrated.

food offerings to the poor as part of celebrations of Dalai Lamas birthday

Food offerings to the poor were part of the many and varied public service acts performed by Tibetan Buddhist nuns as part of their celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.

Essay-Writing and Art Competitions

The nuns held essay and drawing competitions to inspire creativity centered around themes connected to His Holiness’s life and messages. Their beautiful drawings and essays were displayed with balloons for all to see.

Drawings and essays from Shugsep Nunnery as part of the celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.

Some of the art from the painting contest by Shugsep nuns as part of celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.

Community Service

The Shugsep nuns undertook a variety of community service events to mark the occasion. They cleaned and tidied the residence of Tibetan elders at the Jampa Ling Old Age Home in Dharamsala as a gesture of respect and service. They held a cleanup drive in their nearby Indian local communities to promote environmental care and community connection. The nuns also planted trees and flowers within the nunnery grounds to beautify the environment and contribute to sustainability and biodiversity.

The nunnery organized food offerings to support and uplift the poor and needy in nearby areas. They cut up fresh local fruit such as papayas and bananas and distributed the food in compostable and biodegradable bowls made of leaves.

food offerings by the Tibetan Buddhist nuns at Shugsep Nunnery as part of the celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday.

The Shugsep nuns offered fruit and drinks to the local community as part of their celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.

Shugsep nuns distributing fresh fruit and drinks in their community.

Religious and Educational Events

On Namgang, the 30th day of the 4th Tibetan month, the nuns held a grand and elaborate incense offering (sangsol) ceremony at the sacred site of Lhagyal Ri. The nuns held weekly special prayers and offerings to the enlightened beings every Wednesday throughout the season. Wednesday, known as “Lhakar” (White Wednesday) in Tibetan, is considered a special day for the Dalai Lama because it’s believed to be his birth day and a day for expressing devotion to him.

The nuns also held a thoughtful group discussion on the Four Commitments of His Holiness —universal responsibility, inter-religious harmony, preservation of Tibetan culture, and revival of ancient Indian wisdom — to deepen the nuns’ understanding and reflection.

Grand Birthday Celebration

On July 6th, the Shugsep nuns held a joyous and grand celebration bringing together the nunnery community in gratitude and reverence. The nuns lavishly decorated their prayer hall with flowers and butter sculptures, offering, and had a three-tiered birthday cake decorated with the snow lions of Tibet. They held prayers and presented kataks, ceremonial white scarves, to the portrait of His Holiness.

celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday at Shugsep Nunnery

Inside the prayer hall at Shugsep with the beautifully decorated altar and offerings. The nuns lined up to offer khataks, ceremonial Tibetan prayer scarves, to the portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The celebrations continue! The Central Tibetan Administration has declared the period from July 2025 to July 2026 the Year of Compassion, marking the global celebration of His Holiness’ 90th birthday. There will be events worldwide to show gratitude and admiration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his lifelong commitment to global harmony through teachings of love, compassion, and altruism.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated

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On July 2nd, His Holiness the Dalai Lama released an eagerly awaited statement about his succession. The news made global headlines. He reiterated that “the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, patron of the Tibetan Nuns Project, turns 90 on July 6th, 2025. We wish him a very happy birthday and pray for his good health and long life.

Here is the full statement.

photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama reading a statement.

Photo from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Statement Affirming the Continuation of the Institution of Dalai Lama

July 2, 2025
(Translated from the original Tibetan)

On 24 September 2011, at a meeting of the heads of Tibetan spiritual traditions, I made a statement to fellow Tibetans in and outside Tibet, followers of Tibetan Buddhism, and those who have a connection with Tibet and Tibetans, regarding whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue. I stated, “As far back as 1969, I made clear that concerned people should decide whether the Dalai Lama’s reincarnations should continue in the future.”

I also said, “When I am about ninety, I will consult the high Lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other concerned people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, to re-evaluate whether or not the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue.”

Although I have had no public discussions on this issue, over the last 14 years leaders of Tibet’s spiritual traditions, members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, participants in a Special General Body Meeting, members of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhist republics of the Russian Federation and Buddhists in Asia including mainland China, have written to me with reasons, earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue. In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal. In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue.

The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.

I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.

Dalai Lama

Dharamshala
21 May 2025

Tibetan Buddhist Nuns Reconnect With Rare Spiritual Tradition

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Tibetan Buddhist nuns from five nunneries in northern India reconnected with a rare spiritual tradition ahead of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.

As part of the upcoming celebrations for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6, 2025, the Tibetan Nuns Project organized a deeply meaningful workshop to help preserve a rare and fading tradition.

workshop at Tilokpur Nunnery on Phowa Dhoshak stone breaking ceremony

Nuns at Tilokpur Nunnery gathered for a workshop on the ancient, rare spiritual tradition of Phowa Dhoshak, dating back many hundreds of years.

From May 27th to 30th, 2025, Mr. Dorje Rinchen led a series of sessions at five nunneries: Dolma Ling, Shugsep, Tilokpur, Geden Choeling, and Jamyang Choeling. The workshops focused on the unique role of Lama Manipas (wandering Buddhist storytellers) and the ritual practice of Phowa Dhoshak, the symbolic act of breaking a stone on the abdomen for healing ailments and rare diseases.

Dolma Ling nuns attend workshop on ancient, rare spiritual tradition of Phowa Dhoshak

At the end of May, nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute learned about the meaning, structure, and purpose of the rare practice of Phowa Dhoshak. Photo by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.

Rooted in the legacy of Saint Thangtong Gyalpo, Phowa Dhoshak is more than a ritual. It is also a powerful expression of spiritual strength. Through detailed presentations and demonstrations, Gen Dorje Rinchen introduced the nuns to the meaning, structure, and deeper purpose of this rare practice. For many of the nuns, it was their first encounter with a tradition they had only heard about in passing.

Gen Dorjee Rinchen categorized the practice into 13 key topics and delivered a presentation on them, including the origins of the practice, the associated visualizations and recitations, and the reasons behind this spiritual tradition.

Dolma Ling Principal Geshema Delek Wangmo and teacher Dorje Rinchen workshop on Tibetan Buddhist tradition

Dolma Ling Principal Geshema Delek Wangmo (left) and teacher Dorje Rinchen during the workshop at the end of May. Photo by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.

The sessions sparked enthusiasm and a deep reflection. Many of the nuns voiced a strong desire to learn more, to understand the physical ritual, and to explore its spiritual and historical roots. This dialogue has opened up new possibilities for research and study while assisting the nuns to feel more connected to a lineage that has long shaped Buddhist culture.

Nuns at Shugsep Nunnery gather in the library for a workshop on a rare Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

At a time when many such sacred practices are at risk of fading into obscurity, the Tibetan Nuns Project’s efforts are making sure that the next generation of Buddhist nuns is not only aware of these teachings, but also feels empowered to carry them forward.

New Housing for Geshemas Doing Tantric Studies

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In 2019, the Tibetan Nuns Project started fundraising for a significant initiative, Housing for Geshemas. We sought your help to build 16 rooms at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute for Geshema-degree graduates. These rooms allow these senior nuns to live and study while they attend a year-long Tantric studies program at Gyuto Tantric Monastery.

A Geshema Tibetan Buddhist nuns studies at Dolma Ling Nunnery May 2025

A Geshema Tibetan Buddhist nun studies in one of the 16 purpose-built rooms at Dolma Ling Nunnery, May 2025.

The Geshema degree (called a Geshe degree for men) is the highest level of training in the Gelugpa tradition and is equivalent to a PhD in Tibetan Buddhism. The degree was only formally opened to women in 2012.

We are happy to report that the rooms are now built, furnished, and occupied. The Geshemas are very grateful for your generosity and kindness.

A Tibetan Buddhist nun studies in new housing block at Dolma Ling Nunnery May 2025

A Geshema nun engaged in peaceful and focused studies. The 16 rooms can be double or single occupancy. In spring 2025, 13 nuns from Nepal and India moved in when they started their year-long Tantric studies program.

In spring 2025, 13 Geshema nuns began their Tantric studies program at Gyuto Tantric Monastery, about two miles from the nunnery.

This year’s nuns came from four nunneries in India and Nepal. There are five nuns from Kopan Nunnery in Nepal, four from Jangchup Choeling Nunnery in south India, three from Geden Choeling Nunnery in Dharamsala, and one from Dolma Ling.

Geshema Tantric Housing at Dolma Ling spring 2025

One of the 13 nuns who began her Tantric studies this spring. The Geshemas are delighted with their rooms. They offer a wonderful atmosphere for study and contemplation.

The Tantric Geshema program began in 2017 under the guidance and support of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Nuns Project. The first group of 23 Geshemas graduated from the program in 2019. The program is thriving.

Though there have been accomplished female practitioners in Tibet’s history, until 2017, women did not have the opportunity to study Tantric Buddhism formally. The nuns travel from Dolma Ling to Gyuto Tantric Monastery for classes.

Happy Geshema Tibetan Buddhist nun at Dolma Ling Nunnery

Nuns engage in text memorization outside their rooms.

The original Gyuto Tantric University was founded in Tibet in 1474 and was re-established in exile. It continues an unbroken tradition for over 500 years and provides the highest level of Tantric training in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The Tantric Buddhism program provides Geshemas with training in tantric theory, rituals, and mind-training techniques used by those engaged in advanced meditation. This level of training is essential to enable the Geshemas to be fully qualified for advanced leadership roles, such as the head of a nunnery.

Two photos of the new rooms for Geshemas at Dolma Ling Nunnery

Photos of the new rooms for Geshemas at Dolma Ling Nunnery. The 16 rooms can be either single-bed rooms or, as the groups of Geshema graduates become larger, accommodate two nuns per room.

The 16 rooms and facilities are on the third floor of the Yangchen Lophel Study Center at Dolma Ling. These rooms create a good environment for study and contemplation. Each room has enough space for their intensive studies.

The nuns send their gratitude for the improved study conditions and the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Tantric philosophy and practice.

Housing for Geshemas at top of new Yangchen Lophel Study Center

The 16 rooms and facilities are on the third floor of the Yangchen Lophel Study Center at Dolma Ling.

Before the 16 rooms were built, the nunnery was struggling to make space for Geshemas to stay during their course. It placed a strain on the nunnery and restricted the number of new nuns who could be admitted to Dolma Ling because of a lack of accommodation.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama blesses the Geshema nuns who have completed their further studies in Tantric Buddhism.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama blesses the previous group of nine Geshemas who graduated from the Tantric Studies program on February 19th, 2025. The laywomen are Nangsa Choedon, Director (top) and Tenzin Palkyi, Project Coordinator at the Tibetan Nuns Project in India.

We would like to thank everyone who supported the Housing for Geshemas project and the Tantric Studies Program.

The Tantric studies program is now funded through our Geshema Endowment, which also supports the annual Geshema exams and Geshema graduation. We are extremely grateful to the donors to the Geshema Endowment, including the Pema Chodron Foundation, the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Frederick Family Foundation, and the Donaldson Charitable Trust. We hope to put more of our core programs on a solid footing through our Long-Term Stability Fund.

See our Current Needs page for all our projects.

Part of the first group of 23 Geshema nuns who had the opportunity to do Buddhist Tantric Studies. Photo by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.